Word order · Danish grammar A1

Building a statement: the verb-second rule, subject, verb and the rest#

In a Danish main clause, the finite verb is always the second element.

Jeg bor i Odense med min familie.I live in Odense with my family.
Peter arbejder på et hotel i Aarhus.Peter works at a hotel in Aarhus.
Mia og Jonas taler tysk.Mia and Jonas speak German.
Min søster kan ikke svømme.My sister can’t swim.
Bussen kommer klokken otte.The bus comes at eight.

Formation

First element	Finite verb	Subject	Central adverb	Other verb	Object, place, time
Peter	arbejder	–	–	–	i Aarhus.
Peter	arbejder	–	ikke	–	i Aarhus.
Peter og Line	kan	–	ikke	komme	i dag.
Min bror	drikker	–	altid	–	te om morgenen.
I dag	arbejder	Peter	ikke.	–	–

The finite verb is the verb that shows the tense, such as arbejder, kan, er, or har in har arbejdet.
In a neutral statement, the subject is the first element. It counts as one element, however many words it has: Peter, Peter og Line, min bror.
The central adverbs, such as ikke, altid and aldrig, come directly after the finite verb.
Another verb, such as an infinitive after kan, comes after the central adverbs. The object, the place and the time come last.

Use

When a time, a place or an object comes first, the verb is still the second element. This order is explained in Starting with a time or a place: inversion, the verb before the subject.
The rule holds with every verb and in every tense: Peter arbejdede i Aarhus (“Peter worked in Aarhus”). The order is the same in Peter har arbejdet i Aarhus (“Peter has worked in Aarhus”).
In a yes-or-no question, the finite verb comes first, as explained in Asking yes-or-no questions: the verb before the subject.
After a question word, the finite verb is the second element. Question words are explained in Asking for information: question words, hvad, hvem, hvor, hvornår, hvordan, hvorfor.

Difference from English

In English, an adverb such as “always” comes before the main verb. In Danish, it comes after the finite verb: Vi drikker altid kaffe (“We always drink coffee”).
In English, a time at the front is followed by the subject. In Danish, it is followed by the verb: I dag arbejder Peter (“Today Peter works”).

Common mistakes

~~Vi altid drikker kaffe.~~ → Vi drikker altid kaffe.The finite verb is the second element, and altid comes after it.
~~Peter på et hotel i Aarhus arbejder.~~ → Peter arbejder på et hotel i Aarhus.The verb comes directly after the subject; the place comes after the verb.

Remember

Put one element first, then the finite verb, then the rest: Peter arbejder på et hotel i Aarhus. (“Peter works at a hotel in Aarhus.”)
Put ikke, altid and aldrig directly after the finite verb: Vi drikker altid kaffe. (“We always drink coffee.”)

You now know where the verb goes in a Danish statement: in second place, after the subject.

Practise

“Word order: the verb second, ikke, altid, inversion (I dag arbejder jeg)”, The verb in second place: Sofie bor i Odense, Lars arbejder her

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Starting with a time or a place: inversion, the verb before the subject#

When something other than the subject comes first, the verb is still second and the subject comes after it.

I dag arbejder min far hjemme.Today my father is working at home.
Om morgenen drikker Line te.In the morning Line drinks tea.
Her bor vi.This is where we live.
I Aarhus har jeg en ven.I have a friend in Aarhus.
Nu regner det.It’s raining now.

Formation

First element	Finite verb	Subject	Rest
Jeg	arbejder	–	i dag.
I dag	arbejder	jeg.
Her	bor	vi.
Om aftenen	ser	vi	fjernsyn.
I Odense	har	Mia	en lejlighed.
Det	ved	jeg	ikke.

When an element other than the subject comes first, the subject is placed directly after the verb.
Putting the subject after the verb is called inversion.
The first element is most often a time: nu, i dag, om aftenen, i morgen. It may also be a place (her, i Odense) or an object (det).
A first element of several words, such as om aftenen, counts as one element.

Use

A time or a place comes first when it sets the scene. It also comes first when it links the sentence to what was just said: Jeg arbejder i Vejle. Om aftenen læser jeg dansk. (“I work in Vejle. In the evening I study Danish.”)
Inversion is used in every tense: I går arbejdede jeg (“Yesterday I worked”). The order is the same in I dag har jeg arbejdet (“Today I have worked”).
Inversion is used with a modal verb too: Nu kan vi spise (“Now we can eat”).
After inversion, ikke and the other central adverbs come after the subject. Their place is explained in Asking and starting with a time: ikke and the central adverbs after the subject.

Tip

Describe your day step by step with først, så, efter frokost and om aftenen. After each of them, put the verb before the subject: Så går jeg på arbejde. (“Then I go to work.”)

Difference from English

In English, the subject comes before the verb whatever opens the sentence. In Danish, it comes after the verb: I dag arbejder jeg (“Today I work”), Her bor vi (“Here we live”).
In English, the verb comes before the subject only in a few phrases, such as “Here comes the bus”.

Common mistakes

~~I dag jeg arbejder.~~ → I dag arbejder jeg.After a time word at the front, the verb comes second and the subject after it.
~~Om aftenen vi ser fjernsyn.~~ → Om aftenen ser vi fjernsyn.A phrase of several words counts as one element.
~~Her vi bor.~~ → Her bor vi.A place at the front is the first element as well.

Remember

Put something else first, then the verb, then the subject: I dag arbejder jeg. (“Today I work.”)
A phrase of several words at the front counts as one element: Om aftenen ser vi fjernsyn. (“In the evening we watch television.”)

You now know how to start a sentence with a time or a place, with the verb before the subject.

Practise

“Word order: the verb second, ikke, altid, inversion (I dag arbejder jeg)”, Putting something else first: I dag arbejder jeg, Her bor vi

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Saying no: ikke after the finite verb#

In a main clause, a sentence is made negative with ikke (not), placed directly after the finite verb.

Jonas taler ikke dansk.Jonas doesn’t speak Danish.
Hun er ikke hjemme.She isn’t at home.
Vi har ikke en hund eller en kat.We don’t have a dog or a cat.
Jeg kan ikke svømme.I can’t swim.
Jeg forstår det ikke.I don’t understand it.

Formation

Statement	Negative
Mads bor her.	Mads bor ikke her.
Mia har en cykel.	Mia har ikke en cykel.
Jeg kan komme.	Jeg kan ikke komme.
Jeg forstår det.	Jeg forstår det ikke.

In a main clause with one verb, ikke is placed directly after it: Mads bor ikke her. (“Mads doesn’t live here.”)
With two verbs, ikke comes after the first one, the finite verb: Jeg kan ikke komme. (“I can’t come.”)
An object, a place or a time comes after ikke: Mia har ikke en cykel. (“Mia doesn’t have a bike.”)
An unstressed pronoun object, such as det, ham or dem, comes before ikke: Jeg ser ham ikke. (“I don’t see him.”)

Use

Before a noun, ikke en and ikke nogen are often replaced by ingen (no): Vi har ingen bil. (“We have no car.”) This word is explained in Saying some, none and every: nogen, noget, nogle, ingen, alle, hver.
Aldrig (never) is a negation of its own and is not combined with ikke.
When the subject comes after the verb, ikke comes after the subject. This order is explained in Asking and starting with a time: ikke and the central adverbs after the subject.

Difference from English

In English, most verbs need “do not” in the negative. Danish has no “do”, and ikke comes after the verb itself: Jonas taler ikke dansk. (“Jonas does not speak Danish.”)

Common mistakes

~~Jeg ikke taler dansk.~~ → Jeg taler ikke dansk.Ikke comes after the finite verb.
~~Jeg gør ikke tale dansk.~~ → Jeg taler ikke dansk.There is no “do” in a Danish negative.
~~Jeg ser ikke ham.~~ → Jeg ser ham ikke.An unstressed pronoun object comes before ikke.

Remember

Put ikke right after the finite verb: Jeg bor ikke her. Jeg kan ikke komme. (“I don’t live here. I can’t come.”)
Put a short pronoun such as det before ikke: Jeg forstår det ikke. (“I don’t understand it.”)

You now know how to make a sentence negative with ikke.

Practise

“Word order: the verb second, ikke, altid, inversion (I dag arbejder jeg)”, Saying what is not so: ikke after the verb (bor ikke, har ikke)

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Saying always, often or never: the central adverbs altid, tit, aldrig, også#

The central adverbs, such as altid, aldrig and også, are placed where ikke is: directly after the finite verb.

Line drikker altid te om morgenen.Line always drinks tea in the morning.
Mine forældre ser tit fjernsyn.My parents often watch television.
Jeg kan aldrig huske hans navn.I can never remember his name.
Vi hjælper gerne.We’re happy to help.
Bussen kommer snart.The bus is coming soon.

Formation

Adverb	Meaning	Example
altid	always	Vi drikker altid kaffe.
aldrig	never	Hun ryger aldrig.
tit, ofte	often	Vi spiser tit fisk.
også	also, too	Han taler også tysk.
gerne	gladly	Jeg hjælper gerne.
snart	soon	Vi spiser snart.

The central adverbs include altid (always), aldrig (never), tit and ofte (often), and også (also, too). Gerne (gladly), snart (soon) and heller ikke (not either) are central adverbs too.
A central adverb comes directly after the finite verb and before an object, a place or a time.
With a modal verb, the adverb comes after the modal verb and before the infinitive: Jens kan aldrig huske det. (“Jens can never remember it.”)

Use

Gerne means that someone does something willingly or likes doing it: Mads drikker gerne te. (“Mads is happy to have tea.”)
Aldrig already contains the negation and is never combined with ikke.
Other adverbs of frequency include somme tider and sjældent. They are explained in Saying how often: adverbs of frequency, altid, sjældent, en gang om ugen.
Også and its negative heller ikke are explained in Saying too, not either and both: også, heller ikke, begge.

Difference from English

In English, an adverb such as “always” comes before the main verb. In Danish, it comes after the finite verb: Vi drikker altid kaffe (“We always drink coffee”).

Common mistakes

~~Vi altid drikker kaffe.~~ → Vi drikker altid kaffe.The central adverb comes after the finite verb.
~~Hun ryger ikke aldrig.~~ → Hun ryger aldrig.Aldrig is not combined with ikke.
~~Jens kan huske aldrig det.~~ → Jens kan aldrig huske det.With a modal verb, the adverb comes before the infinitive.

Remember

Put altid, aldrig or også right after the finite verb, after er too: Jeg er altid træt. (“I am always tired.”)
Use aldrig alone, without ikke: Hun ryger aldrig. (“She never smokes.”)

You now know where to put altid, aldrig, tit, også and gerne in a statement.

Practise

“Word order: the verb second, ikke, altid, inversion (I dag arbejder jeg)”, Saying how often and adding: altid, aldrig, tit, også, gerne after the verb

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Asking and starting with a time: ikke and the central adverbs after the subject#

When the subject comes after the verb, ikke and the other central adverbs come after the subject.

Taler din mand ikke dansk?Doesn’t your husband speak Danish?
Hvorfor spiser Mads aldrig fisk?Why does Mads never eat fish?
I dag kan jeg ikke.I can’t today.
Om lørdagen arbejder vi ikke.We don’t work on Saturdays.
Kan du også komme?Can you come too?

Formation

Statement	Question	Inversion
Jeg bor ikke her.	Bor du ikke her?	Her bor jeg ikke.
Mia kommer aldrig.	Hvorfor kommer Mia aldrig?	Om aftenen kommer Mia aldrig.
Vi kan ikke svømme.	Kan I ikke svømme?	I dag kan vi ikke svømme.

In a question or after inversion, the order is verb, subject, adverb.
In a yes-or-no question, the verb comes first: Bor du ikke her? (“Don’t you live here?”)
After a question word, the verb comes second: Hvorfor kommer du aldrig? (“Why do you never come?”)
With a time or a place first, the adverb also comes after the subject: I dag kan jeg ikke. (“I can’t today.”)

Difference from English

In English, questions with most verbs need “do”. A Danish question begins with the verb itself: Taler din mand ikke dansk? (“Doesn’t your husband speak Danish?”)
In English, “not” often comes before the subject (“Doesn’t he…?”). In Danish, ikke comes after a pronoun subject: Bor du ikke her? (“Don’t you live here?”)

Common mistakes

~~Ikke bor du her?~~ → Bor du ikke her?A question begins with the verb; ikke comes after the subject.
~~I dag kan ikke jeg.~~ → I dag kan jeg ikke.After inversion, a pronoun subject comes before ikke.

Remember

In a question, put ikke after the subject: Bor du ikke her? (“Don’t you live here?”)
After a time at the front, put ikke after the subject too: I dag kan jeg ikke. (“I can’t today.”)

You now know where ikke, altid and aldrig go in a question and after inversion.

Practise

“Word order: the verb second, ikke, altid, inversion (I dag arbejder jeg)”, Questions and inversion with ikke and aldrig: Bor du ikke her? I dag kan jeg ikke

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Saying too, not either and both: også, heller ikke, begge#

Også (“too”), heller ikke (“not either”) and, after a pronoun subject, begge (“both”) are placed after the finite verb.

Jeg taler dansk. – Det gør jeg også.I speak Danish. – So do I.
Jeg kan ikke svømme. – Det kan jeg heller ikke.I can’t swim. – Neither can I.
Line har også en kat.Line has a cat too.
De er begge lærere.They are both teachers.
Begge mine brødre bor i Odense.Both my brothers live in Odense.

Formation

Også (also, too) and its negative heller ikke (not either, neither) are central adverbs. Their place is explained in Saying always, often or never: the central adverbs altid, tit, aldrig, også.
When the subject comes first, they are placed after the finite verb: Anna taler også engelsk. (“Anna also speaks English.”), Han kan heller ikke komme. (“He can’t come either.”)
When the subject follows the verb, they are placed after the subject: Taler du også dansk? (“Do you speak Danish too?”), I dag taler Anna også engelsk. (“Today Anna speaks English too.”)
In a short answer, they come at the end of the clause: Det gør jeg også. (“So do I.”), Det kan jeg heller ikke. (“Neither can I.”)

Positive	Negative
Jeg taler også tysk.	Jeg taler heller ikke tysk.
Det gør jeg også.	Det gør jeg heller ikke.
Det kan Mia også.	Det kan Mia heller ikke.

Begge

After a pronoun subject (de, vi), begge (both) is placed after the finite verb: De arbejder begge i Aarhus. (“They both work in Aarhus.”)
Before a plural noun, begge comes first: begge mine søstre (“both my sisters”).

Tip

To agree with someone, start with det, then the verb and the subject, and end with også. After a negative statement, end with heller ikke.
The verb is gør after most verbs, and the same verb after er, har or a modal verb. For an opinion, it is synes: Det smager ikke godt. – Det synes jeg heller ikke. (“It doesn’t taste good. – I don’t think so either.”)

Difference from English

English “too” comes at the end of the clause. Også is placed after the finite verb: Peter taler også tysk. (“Peter speaks German too.”)
In a short answer, English places “so” or “neither” first. Danish places det first and the adverb last: Det kan jeg også. (“So can I.”), Det kan jeg heller ikke. (“Neither can I.”)
English has two forms, “not … either” and “neither”, where Danish has one: Han kommer heller ikke. (“He isn’t coming either.”)

Common mistakes

~~Jeg taler ikke også dansk.~~ → Jeg taler heller ikke dansk.The negative of også is heller ikke.
~~Jeg kan ikke heller.~~ → Jeg kan heller ikke.Heller comes before ikke.
~~De begge arbejder i Aarhus.~~ → De arbejder begge i Aarhus.After de or vi, begge comes after the finite verb, unlike English “both”.

Remember

Put også and heller ikke after the finite verb: Han kan heller ikke komme. (“He can’t come either.”)
After a negative statement, use heller ikke, never ikke også: Jeg taler heller ikke dansk. (“I don’t speak Danish either.”)
Agree with a short answer ending in også or heller ikke: Det gør jeg heller ikke. (“Neither do I.”)

You now know how to say “too”, “not either” and “both” in Danish, and where these words are placed.

Practise

“Word order: the verb second, ikke, altid, inversion (I dag arbejder jeg)”, Adding and denying: også, heller ikke, begge

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Joining main clauses: og, men, eller, for, så#

Og, men, eller, for and så join two main clauses, each with the word order of a clause standing alone.

Jeg drikker te, og Per drikker kaffe.I drink tea and Per drinks coffee.
Vil du have te eller kaffe?Would you like tea or coffee?
Hotellet er lille, men det er rart.The hotel is small, but it’s nice.
Jeg er sulten, så jeg spiser nu.I’m hungry, so I’m eating now.
Vi tager bussen, for bilen er gammel.We’re taking the bus, because the car is old.

Formation

The coordinating conjunctions og (and), men (but), eller (or), for (because) and så (so) join two main clauses. A comma is written before the conjunction.
The conjunction is not an element of the second clause. In that clause, the subject comes first and the verb second: Peter laver mad, og Mia dækker bord. (“Peter is cooking, and Mia is laying the table.”)
When another element comes first, the second clause has inversion: Mette bor i Odense, og her arbejder hun. (“Mette lives in Odense, and she works here.”)
Og and eller also join single words: te eller kaffe (“tea or coffee”), Mia og Jonas (“Mia and Jonas”).

Use

For is used for a reason, like “because”, and is usual in writing: Vi bliver hjemme, for det regner. (“We’re staying at home, because it’s raining.”)
Så is used for a result: Det regner, så vi bliver hjemme. (“It’s raining, so we’re staying at home.”)
Så directly followed by the verb is the adverb “then”. That order is also correct: Det regner, så bliver vi hjemme. (“It’s raining, so (then) we’re staying at home.”)
Men is used for a contrast: Det er koldt, men solen skinner. (“It’s cold, but the sun is shining.”)

Difference from English

Here for is a conjunction meaning “because”, not the preposition “for”: Jeg bliver hjemme, for jeg er syg. (“I’m staying at home, because I’m ill.”)

Common mistakes

~~Peter laver mad, og laver Mia salat.~~ → Peter laver mad, og Mia laver salat.Og is not an element: the subject comes first in the second clause.
~~Vi bliver hjemme, for regner det.~~ → Vi bliver hjemme, for det regner.After for, the subject comes first, as after English “because”.

Remember

After og, men, eller, for and så, put the subject first: Det er koldt, men solen skinner. (“It’s cold, but the sun is shining.”)
Use for for “because” between two main clauses: Vi bliver hjemme, for det regner. (“We’re staying at home, because it’s raining.”)
Between two main clauses, write a comma before the conjunction: Peter laver mad, og Mia dækker bord. (“Peter is cooking, and Mia is laying the table.”)

You now know how to join two main clauses with og, men, eller, for and så.

In short

Point	Form	Example
the verb-second rule	one element, then the finite verb	Peter arbejder på et hotel i Aarhus.
inversion	another element first: verb, then subject	I dag arbejder jeg.
negation	ikke after the finite verb	Jeg bor ikke her.
central adverbs	altid, aldrig, tit, også, gerne in the place of ikke	Vi drikker altid kaffe.
questions and inversion	verb, subject, adverb	Bor du ikke her?
også, heller ikke	after the verb; Det gør jeg også / heller ikke.	Han kan heller ikke komme.
og, men, eller, for, så	no change of order	…, for det regner.

Practise

“Word order: the verb second, ikke, altid, inversion (I dag arbejder jeg)”, Joining two sentences: og, men, eller, for, så

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